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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves can be an excellent option to conserve energy and also heat the room. They will require some maintenance. A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. portable wood stove can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or underneath it to ensure your stove doesn't emit harmful pollutants. How to start a Wood Fire The smell and sound of a woodfire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. It's essential to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in the fire not to burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. The following tips can aid you in starting a fire that will heat your home with the least effort and ensure your safety. Before you begin a fire, you should check the condition of your logs and coals. If they are too wet they will choke the fire and prevent it from burning properly. You might want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that falls into the stove. Begin by placing a few small newspaper pieces that are dry and clean in the stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. When they begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there will be air between each piece of wood. If your wood stove comes with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically pump air into the fire as it grows. This allows the fire to burn steadily without you having to open the stove's door frequently to check on it. Do not use too much tinder as it will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel effectively. After you've built a solid bed in your stove of tinder, kindling and embers, start the main flame by laying two large base logs on the grill. On the top of these base woods lay a layer parallel to them. This “top-down” method of building a fireplace will result in a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs. Close the damper when your fire is established and keep it shut. The fire could be smothered if the user opens the damper prior to it being fully established. This can also affect the effectiveness of the fire. Add Wood Stoves aren't only beautiful pieces of home decor They can also help you save money by supplying efficient wood heat. They can be used on their own or together with central heating or furnace system to provide the extra heating required in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. A lot of the stoves that are clean-burning employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second step is to supply fresh air that has been pre-heated. This enhances the combustion process and reduces odors. The amount of heat you will get from your stove will depend on the kind of wood used and the amount of moisture in it as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs must be stored in a ventilated area for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs contain excessive moisture, they will create steam which is essentially wasted energy. It is best to add wood to the pile in intervals and not all at all at. In addition, adding too much wood at once causes the temperature in the firebox to increase and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which could reduce the efficiency of your stove. Avoid the use of other combustibles like cardboard or paper in your stove, as they are not wood and have very different physical properties that can't be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. You should not burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes since they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be used in wood-burning stoves. If you're installing a wood burning stove in your home, it is essential to have it installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician will test your stove to ensure it is safe and functional. They will also ensure that your chimney is functioning properly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they are in good shape. They can look for leaks in the areas that are accessible to your chimney and fix any issues they spot. They will also ensure that all residents of the house understand and follow the fire evacuation procedure in the event of an accident. Adjusting the Damper If you're not cooking on your stove, a damper regulates how much heat is lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the fire. If the flue opens but the damper is closed the fire won't ignite properly and smoke will pour into your home. To ensure you have the most efficient fire, with your damper adjusted properly you must experiment with different settings and observe how each one affects the flames. Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This allows the fire to get a good fire going and helps it stay lit so you can enjoy it for hours. The right opening can stop the fire from being deprived of air and stop it from blowing smoke. To properly adjust your damper, you need to first ensure that the fireplace is heated and the stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and that it has an adequate draft. After these steps are completed, the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted. Once the fire has burned for a while, you can reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its full position. This will stop warm room air from escaping through the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape out of the wood stove. This is the best method to keep your fire burning and to prevent it from becoming too hot. If you shut the damper too far it could stop the draft from working, however if it is too wide, a cold breeze could blow through your home. You can test how much the damper is opened by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight draft pushing against your hand, it is probably in the open position. The damper settings can differ between stoves and even between different kinds of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get an idea of the ideal setting for your stove. Clean Up It is important to clean your chimney and stove after an incident. This will reduce the risk of an explosion in the chimney which is the most common reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky substance that can build up inside the stovepipe, is extremely dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that cannot escape the flame are the reason for this substance. It can be caused by improperly lit fires. A regular cleaning routine can help prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year. Also, it is a good idea for you to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is best to only burn wood that has been seasoned because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. These materials can release harmful chemicals for the air and flue which can be released into your home. It is also important to clean the glass of the wood stove regularly. The majority of newer wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, meaning that they do not require any scrubs. You can use stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not able get the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove. Other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent off when you are not using it, and opening the door or window to increase the flow of air. This will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently since it won't have to exert as much effort to circulate the air. It is recommended not to stack logs, or place them on the fire for an extended duration. This can lead to warping and splits. In addition, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove as the paraffin they contain can melt and flow down the flue which could cause damage to the stove.